No one knows the exact birthday of podcasts but the medium still appears to be a teenager growing into adulthood. But what if podcasts – like books or song – had been around for centuries, especially during the founding and growth of the United States.

With such an unlikely premise in mind – and the utter suspension of belief like in any superhero movie (are there really adamantium claws, Wolverine?), let’s check on podcasts produced during critical times in U.S. History by some famous and infamous figures in our development as a nation.

Be an Informed Consumer by John Hancock – Hancock hosted episodes about reading all documents carefully before signing anything. In later episodes, Hancock advised that after carefully scrutinizing any document, one should wrote their name as large and prominently as possible.

The Essence of Loyalty podcast by Benedict Arnold – As a General in the Revolutionary Army and a favorite of George Washington, Arnold wrote and produced a podcast about loyalty until he changed sides and became a Brigadier General in the British Army, at which time he began a new London-based podcast called Loyalty is Overrated, Chaps.

Conflict Resolution by Alexander Hamilton – Hamilton, the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury and co-author of The Federalist Papers, hosted a podcast about resolving conflicts with people. The highly successful podcast ran 1795 until 1804 when Aaron Burr found a more violent way to resolve the conflict between himself and Hamilton.

Switched on Anthems – Francis Scott Key – Key started his podcast in a British prison (much like the modern podcast Ear Hustle) in Baltimore where he mentors his listeners on how to write a national anthem. During the episodes, Key takes listeners through a journey to writing the Star Spangled Banner with its various earlier iterations such as The Star Powered Rap, Benjamin Franklin Superstar and the haunting The Star Studded Concerto in Piano no. 5.

Panning for Gold – John Sutter– A podcast that ran from 1848 to 1855 focused on weekly tips on how to prospect for gold during the gold rush in California. Guest commentators like Gabby The Prospector would discuss panning techniques like the underhanded swirl or the carpal tunnel shuffle while he subsequently trademarked the term “Forty-Niners” which his family would sell to the San Francisco NFL team 100 years later.

Wait Wait Don’t Mail Me – Buffalo Bill Cody – These podcast episodes ran from 1860 until late 1861 and detailed the weekly dangers faced by the riders who carried the mail for the famous Pony Express. Cody often showed off his riding and shooting skills until reminded over and over by Annie Oakley that it was a podcast and no one could see him.

Law and Order Tombstone – Morgan, Virgil and Wyatt Earp – One of the first crime podcasts in our nation’s history, three brothers who happen to be famous lawmen detail cases they’ve solved with their biggest case being against The Clanton Boys at the OK Corral.

Cart Talk – Ray and Tom Magliozzi – Hosted by two Italian cart mechanics, this weekly podcast show that ran until 1899 answered questions about repairing horse-drawn carts while both brothers used humor and non-stop laughing to entertain listeners who were often perplexed by the complexities of the modern cart.

Trying To Fly with Orville and Wilbur Wright – This instructional podcast demonstrated how the Wright Brothers learned to fly at Kill Devil Hills, NC in 1903 and after three successful flights on that fateful December day then turned the podcast’s focus to business matters such as luggage fees, long waits on the tarmac and a three-episode arc about peanuts or Chicken Marsala as airline food. Apparently, the peanut crowd won big.

The Speakeasy with Alphonse Capone – A late-night, jazzy podcast with Chicago crime boss Al Capone that ran from 1925 until 1931 when Capone was imprisoned for tax evasion, the podcast hosted guests who talked about the best places to get alcohol, whose sale had been made illegal by prohibition in 1917. Some key guests were Johnny Walker Red, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and, of course, French grape expert Dom Perignon.

How To Get Rich Picking Stocks – October 1924 until October 24, 1929 – Hosted by wealthy investor (until Oct. 24, 1929) Jimbo Cramer, this podcast gave out stock tips and promised incredible returns and for the first four years of the podcast episodes made many people rich. However, beginning on October 24, 1929, Cramer discovered that the stock market had dropped by 25 percent and lost $30 billion in market value, bankrupting millions. Podcast ratings dropped precipitously after that since people needed essentials like a job, food and shelter.

The Political Grabfest with Deep Throat – this is the first documented political podcast and was hosted by an anonymous official in the Nixon House from 1968 until 1973 when the President resigned due to the Watergate investigation. Focusing on corruption in government, key guests included Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward and talk show host David Frost because people liked his British accent.

Conclusion and an Eye toward the Future

Despite the relative youth of podcasts, it’s clear that the audio medium could have made substantial contributions throughout our 243-year history. In fact, it’s likely that podcasts will have a major influence on our society into the future. Possible podcast breakthrough moments could be the first podcast hosted exclusively by chat bots, the first podcast broadcast from Mars with those famous words uttered by a future astronaut, “HELP” and the absolutely first “made-up crime” podcast since all the actual true crimes have been covered by every podcast possible.

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